The Enlightened One
John 4:27-42
Can one person make a real difference?
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Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” - John 4:27-42
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the fifth Sunday of Easter is the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.
She is revered as the first evangelist for Christ, leading a whole Samaritan community to faith.
Her testimony is simple. She tells others that Jesus knew everything about her, so they come to see for themselves.
All signs point to this woman being an outcast within her community, and yet they come to see what she told them is true.
What is truly remarkable is that these were Samaritans, not Jews, and they came to believe in Jesus. They invited him to stay with them, and he did, something no rabbi would have done.
This unnamed woman is revered as a saint by some in the Eastern Church, giving her the name St. Photini, meaning the enlightened one.
Legend has it that she traveled as far as Rome, preaching the gospel with her sisters and sons.
What a transformation from an outcast to a preacher!
What her life can teach us is that any one of us can become a force of change. She led people to conversion, and it all started with a conversation at a well.
What will trigger us to make a difference?
Who will we encounter in our daily routine, while on a business trip, or traveling the world on a cruise ship?
We can all make a difference in someone’s life, and that can start the ball rolling.
If God has touched your life in some way, tell people about it.
You never know who might need to hear it.
Words can heal. Words can mend. Words can give life.
Become an enlightened one for those around you, and see the change happen.
More to come...